According to updated data from the Foreign Investment Registry DataInvex of the Secretary of State for Trade, foreign direct investment in Spain increased by 22.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, reaching 6.567 billion euros.
Madrid remains the main centre for attracting capital
More than half of foreign investment in Spain went to the Community of Madrid – 3.367 billion euros, 4.2% more than in the first quarter of last year.
It was followed by Catalonia with 1.541 billion euros, a figure that more than doubled compared with last year.
Other regions also stood out by volume: the Valencian Community with 487 million euros, Castile and León with 290 million euros, Andalusia with 198 million euros, Galicia with 163 million euros, Aragon with 159 million euros and Murcia with 102 million euros.
Main investor countries
By geographical origin, the United States retained first place in the ranking of the main investor countries, accounting for one in every five euros invested in Spain – 21.4%.
The United States, as well as the United Kingdom and France, which ranked second and third respectively, almost doubled their investment volume compared with the first quarter of 2025.
New partners are also emerging, such as South Korea, which ranked fourth among the largest investors.
What attracts capital to Spain
Among the factors attracting investment to Spain are confidence and stability in the country’s external relations, which act as a key growth lever, as well as the strengthening of international agreements – Mercosur, India and other areas that create opportunities for further investment activity.
For the luxury property market in Spain, these figures confirm continued interest from international capital in the country, and especially in Madrid as one of its key economic centres.
Spanish investment abroad fell, but the net figure increased
Although Spain’s gross investment abroad fell by 60.9% to 2.915 billion euros, the Ministry of Economy stressed that net investment doubled compared with the previous year.
The United States remains the main destination for Spanish investment, followed by the United Kingdom.
There is also a strengthening of important destinations such as Australia, contributing to the expansion of Spain’s international presence.
Where Spanish companies invest
The main sectors receiving Spanish investment were financial services – 33%, the food industry – 19% and telecommunications – 15%.
These data reflect both the inflow of foreign capital into Spain and the continuing international expansion of Spanish companies in strategic markets.
